Months ago, sources of ours told us that Verizon had plans to launch a device called the Motorola Luge, which was nothing but a rebranded DROID RAZR M aimed at their prepaid service. Today, that phone has arrived. When I say that this is a rebranded DROID RAZR M, I’m not kidding. This is the … Continued

Months ago, sources of ours told us that Verizon had plans to launch a device called the Motorola Luge, which was nothing but a rebranded DROID RAZR M aimed at their prepaid service. Today, that phone has arrived.

When I say that this is a rebranded DROID RAZR M, I’m not kidding. This is the RAZR M, only with a new name. Verizon and Motorola didn’t even remove the kevlar backing, they just changed the name. Also, their support pages list both devices, since they are, well, the same thing.

As a recap, the RAZR M Luge sports a 4.3-inch qHD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP rear camera, 2,000mAh battery, 8GB storage, micro SD slot, Android 4.4.2, and can connect to Big Red’s LTE network. Also, this is the RAZR M from two years ago, when Verizon introduced the RAZR HD. This is a two-year old phone that was mid-range when it first became available.

You can grab the Luge for $299 at full retail or $199 with prepaid service.

Thanks to this weekend’s new root exploit/method/pile-of-awesomeness from geohot, we are hearing from a number of readers who own older Motorola phones (like the RAZR HD and RAZR M), that once rooted using towelroot, the previous bootloader unlock tool from djrbliss is working again. You may remember “Motopocalypse” from April of last year, an .apk … Continued

But since then, if you failed to unlock the bootloader on your RAZR HD (MAXX HD too) or RAZR M and have taken updates, you have been stuck with a locked bootloader. While we aren’t recommending that you run to towelroot and Motopocalypse to unlock before it’s too late, we had to make sure that you at least knew that your chance has arrived once again.

I have not tested this myself, but if you head over to XDA, there are dozens of success stories from users who own this line of phones.

The method looks something like this – install towelroot and Motopocalypse, run towelroot, verify root, run Motopocalypse, profit.

Again, we are not recommending that you run out and unlock your bootloader, since this is something you cannot come back from and it voids your warranty and all that fun stuff, but if you were pissed at yourself from missing out the first time around, you may have struck gold twice. Or won the lottery twice. Or…you get the point.

Full instructions at the thread below, along with support should you run into issues.

Famed developer, geohot (with help from some friends), has done it. The Samsung Galaxy S5 on AT&T and Verizon has been rooted. So before we dive into this, I’ll just note that the bounty for achieving this task was well over $18,000. If you pledged some cash, it is time to pay up. With that said, … Continued

Famed developer, geohot (with help from some friends), has done it. The Samsung Galaxy S5 on AT&T and Verizon has been rooted. So before we dive into this, I’ll just note that the bounty for achieving this task was well over $18,000. If you pledged some cash, it is time to pay up.

With that said, yep, root has come, my friends. The long wait is over. Freedom on some level is now a part of your Galaxy S5. Flip the bird to whoever you would like to at this point, because the good guys have won again. I should say, the guys who paid hundreds of dollars for a phone who want to feel like they actually own that phone, have won.

The root method is an .apk file that when run, gives you root within about 15 seconds (following a reboot). There is a single button to press and you have root. I don’t think I have seen a root process this easy in…I truthfully cannot remember.

So, how do you root your phone? Download the towelroot.apk file from the towelroot site below. Open that file, install the app, open the app, press the “make it ra1n” button and then sit back and wait. Your phone should reboot within 15 seconds, root included.

What phones are supported? The official phone list includes the AT&T Galaxy S5, Verizon Galaxy S5, and AT&T Galaxy S4 Active. However, the root method may work for almost any Android phone with a kernel build date earlier than June 3. Many Galaxy Note 3 owners, along with RAZR HD and RAZR M owners seem to be having plenty of luck (with a bootloader unlock too).

Android 4.4.2 “Kit Kat” updates have been approved by Verizon for the DROID RAZR HD (MAXX HD too) and RAZR M from Motorola. The updates should be rolling out shortly, now that a soak test for each has seemingly passed by without issue. These are the last of Motorola’s phones on Verizon that were guaranteed … Continued

Android 4.4.2 “Kit Kat” updates have been approved by Verizon for the DROID RAZR HD (MAXX HD too) and RAZR M from Motorola. The updates should be rolling out shortly, now that a soak test for each has seemingly passed by without issue. These are the last of Motorola’s phones on Verizon that were guaranteed to receive the update to Kit Kat. Nice job, Motorola.

The updates include many of the Kit Kat goodies, like Immersive Mode, full emoji support, stronger security, smarter power use, new status bar, Hangouts replacing Google Talk, and the option to choose a default SMS app. You will also find Droid Zap 2.0, new security patches (goodbye, root), and improved HDMI.

Over the weekend, Motorola’s David Schuster gave DROID RAZR HD and RAZR M owners some fantastic news on the Kit Kat update front. According to Schuster, Motorola has made “great progress” on the updates and should be able to deliver them within a “few more weeks.” Moto confirmed back in November that this family of … Continued

Over the weekend, Motorola’s David Schuster gave DROID RAZR HD and RAZR M owners some fantastic news on the Kit Kat update front. According to Schuster, Motorola has made “great progress” on the updates and should be able to deliver them within a “few more weeks.”

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/14/motorola-razr-hd-and-razr-m-kit-kat-updates-arrive-in-a-few-more-weeks/feed/62Motorola Confirms Android 4.4 Kit Kat Updates for DROID RAZR HD, MAXX HD, and RAZR Mhttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/11/19/motorola-confirms-android-4-4-kit-kat-updates-for-droid-razr-hd-maxx-hd-and-razr-m/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/11/19/motorola-confirms-android-4-4-kit-kat-updates-for-droid-razr-hd-maxx-hd-and-razr-m/#commentsTue, 19 Nov 2013 20:01:36 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=124844When Android 4.4 Kit Kat was originally announced 3 weeks back, Motorola confirmed that the Moto X and new DROID family would all see the update fairly quickly. What we weren’t sure about was whether or not last year’s DROID family would see the same joy – that would be the DROID RAZR HD, RAZR … Continued

When Android 4.4 Kit Kat was originally announced 3 weeks back, Motorola confirmed that the Moto X and new DROID family would all see the update fairly quickly. What we weren’t sure about was whether or not last year’s DROID family would see the same joy – that would be the DROID RAZR HD, RAZR MAXX HD, and RAZR M. According to recently updated Motorola update support pages, all three will indeed see the update to Android 4.4.

All three pages now say that each device will see Android 4.4. No timeline has been given, but I wouldn’t expect to see it before all Moto X variants have been updated and then the ULTRA, MAXX, and Mini. Once those are free and clear, last year’s phones should be up. That’s speculation on my part, of course. No matter what, this is great news.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/11/19/motorola-confirms-android-4-4-kit-kat-updates-for-droid-razr-hd-maxx-hd-and-razr-m/feed/101RAZR HD and RAZR M Updates Fix the Kernel Exploit for Unlocking Bootloadershttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/10/razr-hd-and-razr-m-updates-fix-the-kernel-exploit-for-unlocking-bootloaders/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/10/razr-hd-and-razr-m-updates-fix-the-kernel-exploit-for-unlocking-bootloaders/#commentsWed, 10 Jul 2013 14:51:05 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=113666Normally, we like to see software updates to our favorite phones because they tend to fix bugs and bring other enhancements that make them more stable or usable. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case this time around with the new updates for the RAZR HD and RAZR M that were approved yesterday by … Continued

Normally, we like to see software updates to our favorite phones because they tend to fix bugs and bring other enhancements that make them more stable or usable. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case this time around with the new updates for the RAZR HD and RAZR M that were approved yesterday by Verizon. While they do improve GPS and eliminate random power cycles, they also aim to patch the kernel exploit that Dan Rosenberg used to unlock the bootloaders of each. In fact, in the changelog, there is a line that reads “ARM Trust Zone Security fix (Kernel exploit allows bootloader unlock).”

So, if you have yet to unlock your device (instructions), now would be the time to do it. For those who have already unlocked, I was under the impression that a phone couldn’t be relocked afterwards, but you’ll have to refer to the security specialists in the building on that one. As always with OTA updates, proceed with caution.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/10/razr-hd-and-razr-m-updates-fix-the-kernel-exploit-for-unlocking-bootloaders/feed/50DROID RAZR M Receiving Update to 98.16.3 and 98.18.78 – Same Deal as the RAZR HD Updatehttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/09/droid-razr-m-receiving-update-to-98-16-3-same-deal-as-the-razr-hd-update/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/09/droid-razr-m-receiving-update-to-98-16-3-same-deal-as-the-razr-hd-update/#commentsTue, 09 Jul 2013 20:13:43 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=113567Update: For some reason, Verizon is pushing out two different builds of 98.16.3 and 98.18.78. We aren’t sure what is different, but should we find out we will update the post. The RAZR HD isn’t the only device seeing a Google Security patch, SMS fixes, and GPS enhancements – the DROID RAZR M is joining … Continued

Update: For some reason, Verizon is pushing out two different builds of 98.16.3 and 98.18.78. We aren’t sure what is different, but should we find out we will update the post.

The RAZR HD isn’t the only device seeing a Google Security patch, SMS fixes, and GPS enhancements – the DROID RAZR M is joining the party. The new update that was approved by Verizon this afternoon, brings the phone up to build 98.16.3. As I just mentioned, this update is almost identical to the update that was just approved for the RAZR HD and MAXX HD. It even includes new Backup Assistant and SmartActions apps.

Full details in the image above – the update will likely rollout within the next week. The update is 50MB in size.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/09/droid-razr-m-receiving-update-to-98-16-3-same-deal-as-the-razr-hd-update/feed/14evleaks: Verizon to See Motorola DROID RAZR Ultra and RAZR M Ultra?http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/26/evleaks-verizon-to-see-motorola-droid-razr-ultra-and-razr-m-ultra/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/26/evleaks-verizon-to-see-motorola-droid-razr-ultra-and-razr-m-ultra/#commentsWed, 26 Jun 2013 17:59:50 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=112371In the wireless industry, understand that phones are often times planned years in advance. That also means that contracts or agreements have been made between phone manufacturers and carriers…years in advance. With that in mind, take today’s tip from @evleaks, which suggests that Motorola and Verizon have teamed up once again to continue the DROID … Continued

In the wireless industry, understand that phones are often times planned years in advance. That also means that contracts or agreements have been made between phone manufacturers and carriers…years in advance. With that in mind, take today’s tip from @evleaks, which suggests that Motorola and Verizon have teamed up once again to continue the DROID RAZR line, as evidence of that idea. According to a Tweet sent out by the famed leaker, Verizon and Motorola will release new phones called the DROID RAZR Ultra and RAZR M Ultra.

No other details were provided, but @evleaks has been spot on with pre-release info enough times in the past that we tend to listen when he speaks. And if you think about it, a new line of RAZR products isn’t necessarily out of the question, especially after the success of last year’s RAZR HD and RAZR M devices on Big Red.

We’re a bit confused, though, because we were supposed to see the “new” Motorola in 2013, yet a continuation of the RAZR line seems like nothing but old news. Then again, remember what we mentioned at the beginning. These phones could have been a part of an agreement with Verizon long before Google decided to change Motorola for the better.

We should point out that sources of ours recently tipped us to this new Ultra line of phones, but didn’t use the “RAZR” name, and instead referred to them as the DROID Ultra, DROID Ultra Maxx, and DROID Ultra Mini. One thing is certain, the “Ultra” tag will be a part of this new DROID line headed to Verizon. As a bonus, our sources suggested that we may also see a MAXX, which is Moto’s nickname for phones with insanely long battery life.

Now the question is, will we see these new DROIDs alongside Verizon’s Moto X (XT1060) variant? If we look at last year’s timeline, we saw the RAZR HD and RAZR M arrive in the fall. The Moto X is expected to arrive at any moment as a cross-carrier device without special branding, so maybe we’ll see the Moto X first, and these new Ultra devices a few months down the road. That of course is just speculation.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/26/evleaks-verizon-to-see-motorola-droid-razr-ultra-and-razr-m-ultra/feed/134Verizon Reminds Us That Google Voice Search Can Solve All Your Problemshttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/verizon-reminds-us-that-google-voice-search-can-solve-all-your-problems/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/verizon-reminds-us-that-google-voice-search-can-solve-all-your-problems/#commentsMon, 10 Jun 2013 23:25:26 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=110772Verizon’s new Father’s Day commercial that popped up over the weekend is a fine reminder that Google Voice Search is there to help you in times of need. When your child adopts a dangerous pet, baseballs are thrown through windows, a kid puts the wrong dish soap in the dishwasher, superglue is used to help … Continued

Verizon’s new Father’s Day commercial that popped up over the weekend is a fine reminder that Google Voice Search is there to help you in times of need. When your child adopts a dangerous pet, baseballs are thrown through windows, a kid puts the wrong dish soap in the dishwasher, superglue is used to help someone palm a basketball, or when your daughter gets her little heart crushed by a boy, you can search for help.

I can’t tell you how many times recently that I’ve pulled out Google Voice Search to find things. If my friends and I can’t remember anything from an actor’s name to movies they were in to how many different NBA teams Dr. J played for, Google Search can get you there quicker than any other method. I forget to use it every so often, but lately it has become a part of my everyday life.

Oh, the ad was also to show off the current “Free” deal that VZW is running for the RAZR M in blue, should you be interested.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/verizon-reminds-us-that-google-voice-search-can-solve-all-your-problems/feed/61Verizon Releases the RAZR HD and RAZR M in Blue for Father’s Dayhttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/05/28/verizon-releases-the-razr-hd-and-razr-m-in-blue-for-fathers-day/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/05/28/verizon-releases-the-razr-hd-and-razr-m-in-blue-for-fathers-day/#commentsTue, 28 May 2013 15:28:31 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=109421Father’s Day is quickly approaching, so to celebrate the occasion, Verizon has released blue versions of the Motorola DROID RAZR M and RAZR HD. They are calling this a “limited” run, so if owning a blue version of last year’s mid-range spec’d Motorola phones has been a dream of yours, now is your chance to … Continued

Father’s Day is quickly approaching, so to celebrate the occasion, Verizon has released blue versions of the Motorola DROID RAZR M and RAZR HD. They are calling this a “limited” run, so if owning a blue version of last year’s mid-range spec’d Motorola phones has been a dream of yours, now is your chance to fulfill it. The RAZR M, which has a decent amount of blue, can be had for free on 2-year contract. The RAZR HD on the other hand, isn’t really blue at all other than a slight blue rim around the top portion, can be had for $99 on new 2-year contract. The RAZR MAXX HD does not come in blue.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/05/28/verizon-releases-the-razr-hd-and-razr-m-in-blue-for-fathers-day/feed/24Verizon Hosting “Red Hot Deal Days” – RAZR MAXX HD for $150, RAZR M for Free, Galaxy S3 for $99 and Morehttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/05/08/verizon-hosting-red-hot-deal-days-razr-maxx-hd-for-150-razr-m-for-free-galaxy-s3-for-99-and-more/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/05/08/verizon-hosting-red-hot-deal-days-razr-maxx-hd-for-150-razr-m-for-free-galaxy-s3-for-99-and-more/#commentsWed, 08 May 2013 16:57:00 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=107503Verizon is currently hosting a “Red Hot Deal Days” event from today through May 12 (this Sunday), so if you were in the market for a new Big Red smartphone, now wouldn’t be a bad time to look. Well, assuming you aren’t interested in the Galaxy S4, since that won’t be out until May 30. … Continued

Verizon is currently hosting a “Red Hot Deal Days” event from today through May 12 (this Sunday), so if you were in the market for a new Big Red smartphone, now wouldn’t be a bad time to look. Well, assuming you aren’t interested in the Galaxy S4, since that won’t be out until May 30. But if the GS4 isn’t on your radar, you’ll find deals on the RAZR MAXX HD and regular RAZR HD, RAZR M, Incredible 4G LTE, Blackberry Z10 (hah!), and more.

The DROID line is headlining this show, with the RAZR MAXX HD at $149 on contract, RAZR HD at $49, and RAZR M and Incredible 4G LTE for free. The Samsung Galaxy S3 (16GB model) is also there for $99 on new 2-year contract.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/05/08/verizon-hosting-red-hot-deal-days-razr-maxx-hd-for-150-razr-m-for-free-galaxy-s3-for-99-and-more/feed/21DROID RAZR M Update to 98.15.66 Available Nowhttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/04/22/droid-razr-m-update-to-98-15-66-available-now/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/04/22/droid-razr-m-update-to-98-15-66-available-now/#commentsMon, 22 Apr 2013 17:19:33 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=105704The “maintenance” update for the Motorola DROID RAZR M that was approved by Verizon last week as build 98.15.66 started rolling out to users over the weekend. It’s not Android 4.2, but does improve WiFi connectivity, voice volume, camera features, in-call audio while using headsets, video streaming, and more. The update is 80MB in size. … Continued

The “maintenance” update for the Motorola DROID RAZR M that was approved by Verizon last week as build 98.15.66 started rolling out to users over the weekend. It’s not Android 4.2, but does improve WiFi connectivity, voice volume, camera features, in-call audio while using headsets, video streaming, and more.

The update is 80MB in size.

To try and pull the update yourself, head into Settings>About phone>System updates.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/04/22/droid-razr-m-update-to-98-15-66-available-now/feed/15DROID RAZR M Update Approved by Verizon as Build 98.15.66, It’s Just a “Maintenance” Releasehttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/04/16/droid-razr-m-update-approved-by-verizon-as-build-98-15-66-its-just-a-maintenance-release/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/04/16/droid-razr-m-update-approved-by-verizon-as-build-98-15-66-its-just-a-maintenance-release/#commentsTue, 16 Apr 2013 21:05:57 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=105042If you’re the proud owner of the RAZR M you should be excited to hear that Verizon has officially announced a small update (build 98.15.66) that will squash a few bugs with the device. This looks to be the exact same maintenance release that we saw soak testers get last week. Not as exciting as a new … Continued

If you’re the proud owner of the RAZR M you should be excited to hear that Verizon has officially announced a small update (build 98.15.66) that will squash a few bugs with the device. This looks to be the exact same maintenance release that we saw soak testers get last week. Not as exciting as a new version of Android, but fixing WiFi connectivity, video streaming and camera improvements are all welcome fixes.

The update is 80MB in size.

To check to see if the update is available, head into Settings>About Phone>Software updates.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/04/16/droid-razr-m-update-approved-by-verizon-as-build-98-15-66-its-just-a-maintenance-release/feed/15DROID RAZR M Soak Test on the Way, Just a Maintenance Releasehttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/04/11/droid-razr-m-soak-test-on-the-way-just-a-maintenance-release/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/04/11/droid-razr-m-soak-test-on-the-way-just-a-maintenance-release/#commentsThu, 11 Apr 2013 23:59:40 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=104636Edge-to-edge connoisseurs, the DROID RAZR M has a new update on the horizon. According to emails sent out to members of Motorola’s Feedback Network, an early preview of a “new software release” will arrive shortly. If you were hoping for Android 4.2, I have a feeling you’ll be disappointed – the email says specifically that this is … Continued

Edge-to-edge connoisseurs, the DROID RAZR M has a new update on the horizon. According to emails sent out to members of Motorola’s Feedback Network, an early preview of a “new software release” will arrive shortly. If you were hoping for Android 4.2, I have a feeling you’ll be disappointed – the email says specifically that this is nothing more than a “maintenance release.” Still, who doesn’t love new software? Bug squashing is still fun, isn’t it?

Assuming the test kicks off within the next few days, it shouldn’t be long before the public release.